Indo-Greek king Apollodotus II (80-65 BC).
Obv.: Bust of king Apollodotus II. Greek legend ΑΠΟΛΛΟΔΟΤΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ "Apollodotus Great Saviour & Fatherloving King".

Rev.: King Apollodotus II diademed, on a horse, making a benediction gesture. Legend in Kharoshthi script Tratarasa Maharajasa Apalatasa "Saviour King Appolodotus".

Apollodotus II (reigned circa 80-65 BCE) was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the western and eastern parts of Punjab. He or his contemporaries seem to have re-established the Indo-Greek kingdom to some extent of its former glory. Eastern territory was taken back from Indian kingdoms, and Taxila in western Punjab was reconquered from nomad Scythian rule. The exact course of events remains obscure due to lack of sources, though, and in fact the late Indo-Greeks may have been rather blended with both Indians and Scythians.

Why did he call himself "Great"?

Apollodotus II was among the first Indo-Greek kings to call himself Basileos Megalou, "Great King". This title originally belonged to the Persian Kings and could be said to be roughly equivalent to Emperor. Greek kings were usually restrictive with such boastful titles, (it was sparsely used even by the much mightier Seleucid kings) and though Apollodotus II was one of the more important Indo-Greek kings, the size of his kingdom did by no means justify any imperial ambition. A plausible explanation is that the Scythian king Maues raised the stakes by calling himself not only "Great King" but "Great King of Kings". The Scythian nomads, less skilled in philosophy than the Greeks, could not grasp such an abstract concept as inflation of titles, and therefore were prone to such exaggeration.

Apollodotus II had to follow suit; the mere title King would have hinted that he was much inferior to Maues, and thus he took a title which exaggerated those of earlier Indo-Greek kings but moderated the Scythian king's.

Zoilos II overstruck some of the coins of Apollodotus II.

Indo-Greek king Apollodotus II (80-65 BC).

Obv.: Greek legend ΑΠΟΛΛΟΔΟΤΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ "Apollodotus Great Saviour & Fatherloving King".

Rev.: Legend in Kharoshthi script Tratarasa Maharajasa Apalatasa "Saviour King Appolodotus", with goddess Athena (type of Menander I).

Preceded by: Indo-Scythian king Maues

Indo-Greek Ruler (Punjab) (80 - 65 BCE)

Succeeded by: In Western Punjab: Hippostratos

In Eastern Punjab: Dionysios

Links

• Coins of Apollodotus II
  
• More coins of Apollodotus II
  
  

References

• "The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies" by Thomas McEvilley (Allworth Press and the School of Visual Arts, 2002) ISBN 1-58115-203-5
  
• The Greeks in Bactria and India (Cambridge Library Collection - Classics) , W.W. Tarn,